Most of the Balochistan province experienced very low rainfall during the last three years, with only one third of the normal rainfall received in 1998 and 18% of the normal rainfall in 1999. Large parts of the central and western areas of the province received no rain during the last monsoon season and the dry spell continued till mid December, 2000 when most parts of the country including Balochistan received the first winter rain. In the Balochistan province, first winter rain of year 2000 was recorded in Quetta, Barkhan, Dalbandin, Zhob, Panjgoor, Sibi and Ziarat.

The Government of Balochistan (GoB) had initially designated 23 districts of the Balochistan Province as "drought-affected' and undertook a relief operation in the drought affected areas. The immediate relief measures by the Government, donor agencies, local and international NGOs and private organizations and monsoon rains in the eastern part eased drought adversities in 12 districts of the province. However, out of remaining 11 affected districts, 7 did not receive any winter rains during year 2000 and as such drought situation is feared to further deteriorate in these districts.

In the province of Balochistan, the drought also contributed to the incidence of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) in the year 2000. A UN team which visited Balochistan in June, 2000 had predicted the probability of CCHF outbreak in the province during winter due to drought conditions. The CCHF epidemic was noted in Loralai District in the first week of September, 2000, and till 4 December, 2000, out of 45 reported cases of CCHF disease, 16 were fatal (36%).

The Government of Balochistan has continued relief operations in the drought affected areas by distributing food supplies as well as animal feed in the form of urea molasses blocks in the drought affected areas of the province. The food supplies consisted of wheat flour, rice, lentils, sugar, tea and edible oil etc.

World Food Programme (WFP), in follow-up to the UN Resident Coordinator's announcement during last meeting of Provincial Disaster Management Committee (PDMC), provided 437 metric tons of wheat and about 41 metric tons of edible oil to the Government of Balochistan as relief assistance for the severely drought-affected families in Balochistan. Relief Commissioner, Balochistan, would distribute relief assistance provided by WFP to 8,000 families in four severely drought-affected districts, namely Chagai, Pishin and Killa Abdullah during the month of February, 2001.

The Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), in November 2000, provided an emergency financial assistance of US $392,000 as grant-in-aid under the Technical Cooperation Programme to the drought affected areas in Balochistan. This assistance would ensure essential livestock feed for the animals of drought hit areas besides providing veterinary support and coverage with vaccine and medicine for about half a million animals to prevent loss of breeding animals in their weakened state.

WHO-office in Pakistan, in order to raise awareness about CCHF epidemic in the country, conducted two workshops one in Quetta and the other in Loralai during November, 2000 for health officials including doctors and para-medical staff in the province of Balochistan. The training included safety measures, handling of the patients and CCHF treatment. WHO also educated hospital workers and community leaders on early warning practices of the disease.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) donated emergency obstetric care kits, as well as safe delivery kits for pregnant women to be utilized by obstetricians or trained midwives in drought affected areas of Aranji, Balochistan. UNFPA also plans to hand over a similar consignment to the Government of Sindh for use in the drought affected areas of Tharparkar.

UNHCR office in Quetta continued consolidation of 26 refugee villages and scattered affectees into 8 clusters in Pishin, Gulistan, Loralai, Chagai and Quetta districts. A total of 223 families were moved from Killa Haji Khan to Surkhab refugee villages in Pishin District in November, 2000. The affected families were provided assistance in the construction work and transportation of their belongings to the new locations. UNHCR also continued work on strengthening of water supply schemes in Pishin, Loralai, Gulistan, Chagai and Pishin Districts.

On the request of UNDP, UN Office of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) provided an amount of US $52,000 in July 2000 for preparation of urea molasses blocks for distribution to the livestock herders in order to save the selected breeding stock in the drought-affected areas. The task of fabrication of urea blocks was assigned to UNDP-funded Area Development Programme Balochistan. The manufacturing of blocks was started in August, 2000 and the first consignment of 25,000 blocks was handed over to the Livestock & Dairy Development Department and the Commander, Log Area, Quetta in September, 2000 for distribution to drought-affected areas already identified through a survey by the Relief Commissioner, Balochistan. Further production and distribution of the blocks have been continued on regular basis in the subsequent months. Reports from the field confirmed acceptability and use of urea block by block owners and animals. The Livestock and Dairy Development Department, Government of Balochistan, and Area Development Programme Balochistan prepared a joint report in support to the production and distribution of urea blocks in Balochistan. This report has been forwarded, among others, to the Government of Pakistan and the Government of Balochistan for their comments particularly with regard to further replication of this activity keeping in view the existing drought situation.

The Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) also continued their participation in relief assistance activities in the drought-affected areas. Relief Forum, in collaboration with its implementing partners, provided health care to about 40,000 people in District Zhob and worked on improving water supply schemes in Nushki and Bolan Districts in November 2000. OXFAM, in collaboration with European Commission (EC) and Department for International Development (DFID), distributed wheat flour, lentils and edible oil to drought affected families in Khuzdar and Chagai.

Catholic Relief Services (CRS), an international NGO, pledged an amount of US $100,000 for the drought affectees of Balochistan and Sindh provinces and reached around 60,000 people and covered 22,500 animal heads. It distributed food-aid commodities and provided health facilities, medicines, crop seed and animal vaccination in the drought affected areas of Balochistan and Sindh provinces. Its main partners for undertaking relief and rehabilitation activities are Taraqee Trust, Balochistan Relief Forum and Participatory Integrated Development Society in the Balochistan province and Participatory Village Development Programme in the Sindh province.

Direct bilateral aid received or pledged from Japan, Turkey, China, South Korea, USA, Norway, European Union and New Zealand amounts to US $14.26 million. A summary of national and international response in the form of cash and in-kind relief assistance for drought stricken areas of Balochistan and Sindh provinces is given at Annex A.